FIRST TORY MP IN 32 YRS FOR ISLAND
Candidate overcomes late start to win three-way fight and says party’s pledge to deliver Brexit was key:
YNYS Mon will be represented by a Conservative MP for the first time since 1987.
In what turned out to be the three-way race that many predicted, it took until 2.45am for the declaration to be announced at Llangefni’s Plas Arthur leisure centre.
But riding the crest of a blue national wave, the voters of the island followed up on their decision to back leaving the EU in the 2016 Referendum by electing a member that promised to “get Brexit done” and ending 18 years of Labour representation.
With the party suffering from some high-profile selection issues, which saw former Brecon and Radnorshire MP Chris Davies announce his withdrawal as the island’s candidate after less than 24 hours, it was Virginia Crosbie that answered the party’s call.
But despite the Chair of Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservatives having a fortnight less to campaign than her Plaid Cymru and Labour counterparts, she managed to dramatically overturn former MP Albert Owen’s 5,000 majority into a lead of almost 2,000 for herself.
Thanking the people of Anglesey for welcoming her, Mrs Crosbie said that she was “proud” to lead the way for other women MPs, describing her “honour” of being elected, promising that “the hard work started now.”
Speaking to the Mail, she said: “It’s a real privilege to represent this beautiful constituency and community; the people have really welcomed myself and my family and I’m really honoured.
“The message has been very clear, it’s all about delivering Brexit by the end of January so that we can focus on getting jobs, skilled employment, and much-needed investment in the area.
“People were very frustrated they had not been listened to, this Election was all about them voting for the Conservatives that are going to deliver Brexit.”
Scientist and mathematician Mrs Crosbie has promised to make her home in Anglesey with her three children and husband.
She has already started house hunting on the island and said she had been overwhelmed by the messages of support since election night.
Ms Crosbie’s grandfather was a miner in Merthyr Tydfil for 47 years, while her mother worked in a jam factory when she was growing up. Her daughter plays lacrosse for Wales and recently competed in the lacrosse World Cup.
Ms Crosbie has a degree in microbiology, is a former maths teacher and has a background in healthcare and banking.
She said: “Conservative values have guided my life through a successful career at GlaxoWellcome, where I worked in the production of interferon; UBS, where I was one of its youngest directors, and HSBC, where I won awards as a leading phar
maceutical analyst.”
It was while teaching maths to young adults last year that she was led into politics, she said. “I didn’t know the Tory party were looking for candidates,” she said.
“I knew there had never been a Conservative woman in Wales. But it’s all about the best person for the job, not whether they are male or female.”
Ms Crosbie graduated with a degree in microbiology and once worked as a dolphin trainer for Terry Nutkin on the BBC show, Animal Magic.
“It was just a summer job,” she told WalesOnline, saying it was her business experience that would really help the Tories on the green benches.
Three women and just one man stood for the Ynys Mon seat, and throughout the campaign, all three women showed a solidarity with each other that transcended politics, she said.
“The three of us supported each other and there was a camaraderie between us as candidates,” she added.
“I have four and a half years to prove myself now. There are 58,000 people on this island and I want to touch the lives of every single person in that time.”
Ms Crosbie is also Director of Women2Win, which was co-founded by the Prime Minister in 2005, and leads the campaign to elect more women into local government and Parliament
She has previously stood as a candidate in the 2017 General Election in Rhondda, achieving the party’s highest vote share since 1979.
She won her seat with a majority of 1,968.
Labour candidate Mary Roberts got 10,991 votes, Plaid Cymru’s Aled Ap Dafydd got 10,418, followed by Helen Jenner for the Brexit Party with 2,184.